Written Answers Friday 20 January 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new EU budget 2007-13 will have on agricultural funding.

Ross Finnie: The new EU budget 2007-13 was agreed in December 2005. The total budget for EU expenditure 2007-13 has been set at €862.3 billion.

  Within this, provision for Pillar II of the CAP which funds agri-environment schemes and other rural development measures, was reduced during the budget negotiations and now stands at €69.75 billion for the seven year period. The UK share of Pillar II funds for 2007-13 is not yet known.

Airports

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when negotiations relating to the buyout of the Inverness Airport Terminal PFI contract by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd will be completed.

Tavish Scott: I am pleased to announce that negotiations between Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) and the PFI owners have now been completed and Inverness Airport Terminal Ltd has been acquired by HIAL with effect from 20 January 2006.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it envisages that additional drug rehabilitation places will be made available in Scotland.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many resources in cash terms have been set aside to provide more drug rehabilitation places in Scotland.

Hugh Henry: When developing drug treatment and rehabilitation services, drug action teams and their local partners assess the level of need in their areas and have to ensure that the treatment needs of their local drug using population are met.

  An additional £4 million was allocated for drug treatment and rehabilitation in 2005-06. Performance contracts have been agreed between the Scottish Executive and 22 local drug action teams. These include specific targets for widening the range of treatments available locally, increasing capacity, and reducing waiting times. This would result in an estimated 2,600 additional treatment places. The performance contracts run from 2005-06 until 2006-07, when it is envisaged the targets will be achieved.

  The investment we have made in drug treatment and rehabilitation since 2000 is reflected in new figures released in the publication Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2005. These show a 35% increase in the number of new individuals able to access drug treatment and rehabilitation services between 2000-01 and 2004-05.

Drug Misuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to collect and record crime statistics by class of drug.

Cathy Jamieson: We have no plans to ask police forces to change the current procedures for recording drug crimes.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the funding available to NHS Ayrshire and Arran to tackle drug misuse.

Hugh Henry: Ayrshire and Arran NHS board receive £1,153,781 for drug treatment and rehabilitation services per annum. If additional resources are made available in the future the specific allocation to Ayrshire and Arran will be considered along with those for the rest of Scotland.

Efficient Government

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all savings listed in the Efficiency Technical Notes in support of the Efficient Government Programme are net of redundancy payments and the cost of capital and/or other spend-to-save disbursements.

Mr Tom McCabe: Where investment was justified to enhance or sustain service delivery, and not solely in order to secure efficiency gains, capital costs and redundancy payments are not taken into account when calculating the efficiency saving. In any project where efficiency improvement was the primary rationale, the treatment of development and redundancy payment costs will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and will be reflected in future iterations of the Efficiency Technical Notes.

Employment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of working-age people have been unemployed in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1996.

Nicol Stephen: The official source for unemployment is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

  ILO unemployment rates are not available for all local authorities for all years from 1996.

  Table 1 shows the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for working age people where available.

  Table 1: Working Age Unemployment Rates1 in West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire

  

 
 East Dunbartonshire
 West Dunbartonshire


 1996
 4.2%*
 15.2%


 1997
 4.4%*
 12.6%


 1998
 2.7%*
 7.0%*


 1999
 4.1%*
 10.4%*


 2000
 6.9%*
 7.6%*


 2001
 5.5%*
 9.2%*


 2002
 3.8%*
 5.7%*


 2003
 3.3%
 8.3%


 2004
 3.1%
 6.7%



  Source: 1996-2002 data – Labour Force Survey annual average, 2003-04 – Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Rates are calculated as the number of working age people who are unemployed divided by the number of working age economically active people.

  2. *Data is above disclosure threshold but is considered statistically unreliable.

Employment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the unemployment rates have been in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1997.

Nicol Stephen: The official source for unemployment is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

  Table 1 shows the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for people aged 16 and over where available.

  The following table gives the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for people aged 16 and over.

  

 
 East Dunbartonshire
 West Dunbartonshire


 1996
 4.5%*
 14.9%


 1997
 4.4%*
 12.5%


 1998
 3.1%*
 6.8%*


 1999
 4.0%*
 10.7%*


 2000
 6.8%*
 7.4%*


 2001
 5.4%*
 8.9%*


 2002
 3.7%*
 6.0%*


 2003
 3.3%
 8.1%


 2004
 3.1%
 6.8%



  Source: 1996-2002 data – Labour Force Survey annual average, 2003-04 – Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Rates are calculated as the total number of people who are unemployed divided by the total number economically active people

  2. *Data is above disclosure threshold but is considered statistically unreliable.

Enterprise

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regard the Scottish Enterprise Network should have, in considering any application for grant assistance or other financial aid submitted by a private company or by a company engaged in the private sector, to the issue of displacement whereby the granting of financial assistance to the applicant may place other businesses at a competitive disadvantage or may disturb the market in that sector.

Nicol Stephen: The Management Statement between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Enterprise Network states that projects with economic objectives should generally be undertaken only where there is the prospect of a net benefit at the level of the Scottish economy. However, where a project is aimed at one or more narrower geographical areas which are considered to merit priority treatment, it may be legitimate to support the project although it brings only a local benefit to the area or areas in question. The networks are required to comply with state aid rules and H.M. Treasury guidance on appraisal when considering if assistance can be given to businesses.

  The Management Statements of both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are updated regularly and the latest versions can be accessed at the following website address:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Enterprise/16858/6702.

Equal Opportunities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into the economic benefits of greater integration of races into the labour force and the impact that this would have on the economy.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has commissioned the following research in this area:

  Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Scotland: a Skills and Aspirations Audit (March 2004) and Minority Ethnic Enterprise in Scotland: a National Scoping Study (June 2005).

Equal Opportunities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure whether the current barriers to achieving employment for black and minority ethnic groups have been removed by the UK Government’s target date of 2013.

Allan Wilson: We are establishing a Strategic Group on Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market, which is seeking to increase the number of people from ethnic minorities, including women from a black or ethnic minority background, in employment. A reduction in the employment gap between ethnic minorities and other groups will be a measure of whether barriers to employment are being removed.

Food Labelling

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on introducing country-of-origin labelling.

Ross Finnie: On 15 November 2005, the Scottish Executive issued a consultation paper on a proposal to require the catering sector to inform consumers about the origin of the beef they serve. Views on the proposal are sought by 28 February 2006, at which point all views will be considered.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it had to meet the costs of police officers from outwith Scotland being deployed in Scotland in relation to policing the G8 summit and related events, such as the Make Poverty History march, and, if so, what the accumulated cost was of doing so.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive was responsible for the bulk of the cost of policing last year’s G8 summit, and associated events. The total policing cost was £71.976 million . The UK Government agreed to provide £20 million towards meeting that cost.

  A breakdown of the cost of policing the event has been provided to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38309) and is available on the Scottish Executive’s website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/G8/costofpolicing

  Mutual aid was provided by police forces across the UK as a result of an agreement between the Chief Constable of Tayside Police and Chief Constables/Chief Officers of other forces for those forces to provide assistance during the G8 summit. This was in recognition of the fact that policing an event of this magnitude was beyond the resources of Tayside Police alone.

  This mutual aid comprised the additional staffing costs incurred by police forces - north and south of the border - who contributed to the operation. £21.495 million of the total spending on mutual aid went to English and Welsh forces (including the British Transport Police) with Scottish forces (including the SDEA) receiving £23.165 million.

General Practitioners

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is meeting its 48 hour access target to a GP surgery and whether patients can book an appointment in advance of this and, if so, whether the Executive will provide more funding to GPs to allow patients to do so.

Mr Andy Kerr: We expect each primary medical services practice to establish appropriate access arrangements in accordance with local circumstances and to meet the requirement of the guarantee. Funding is provided to this end through the Scottish General Medical Services Contract arrangements.

  The 48 hour access target is currently included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) under the new GP contract arrangements. This means that practices participating in the QOF are rewarded for the achievement of the 48 hour access target. In 2004-05, some 97% of participating Scottish practices qualified for and received the "access bonus" through the QOF. Similarly high levels of compliance were reported by NHS boards through the 2004-05 Performance Assessment Framework.

  The 48 hour access target should not preclude the ability of patients and practitioners to pre-book routine appointments.

  Information on the guarantee and the guidance issued to NHS boards is available publicly from the 48 hour access website http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/48houraccess.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid by the NHS in Scotland in each of the last five years in respect of medical negligence, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information held centrally on claim settlements made after April 2000 does not differentiate between clinical and non-clinical claims. The cost of settlements made in relation to clinical and, where appropriate, non-clinical claims against NHSScotland in each financial year since 2000-01, broken down by NHS board, is detailed in the table.

  

 NHS Board
2000-01 (£)
2001-02 (£)
2002-03 (£)
2003-04 (£)
2004-05 (£)


 Argyll and Clyde
 91,550
 265,519
 2,558,831
 270,041
 1,219,640


 Ayrshire and Arran
 158,263
 828,865
 671,398
 230,560
 234,702


 Borders
 12,500
 5,000
 20,111
 13,650
 157,580


 Dumfries and Galloway
 407,500
 701,116
 362,018
 219,096
 65,927


 Fife
 280,647
 51,693
 125,346
 492,449
 320,806


 Forth Valley
 434,007
 292,525
 112,954
 2,518,400
 553,359


 Grampian
 186,061
 175,375
 77,250
 199,313
 912,877


 Greater Glasgow
 981,944
 2,894,856
 2,078,799
 1,419,508
 1,441,834


 Highland
 40,600
 220,276
 197,581
 1,324,739
 159,490


 Lanarkshire
 746,336
 51,480
 406,282
 569,846
 275,250


 Lothian
 252,962
 815,557
 1,933,644
 879,506
 437,323


 Orkney
 0
 5,500
 0
 0
 29,120


 Shetland
 2,550
 7,700
 78,345
 10,200
 2,000


 Tayside
 225,552
 138,353
 98,150
 105,163
 2,460,004


 Western Isles
 104,990
 5,500
 0
 0
 1,500


 State Hospitals
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Common Services Agency
 0
 0
 0
 55,000
 49,000


 Scottish Ambulance Service
 0
 3,000
 0
 0
 0


 Totals
 3,925,462
 6,462,315
 8,720,709
 8,307,471
 8,320,412

Higher Education

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students from low income backgrounds from the (a) East Dunbartonshire and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area have had their university fees waived in each year since 2003

Nicol Stephen: Since 2000 all Scottish domiciled students attending Scottish universities have had their fees paid. The number of students from low income backgrounds from (a) East Dunbartonshire and (b) West Dunbartonshire who have had their university fees paid over the period in question is detailed in the below table:

  Students Receiving Full Fee Support

  

 
 (a) East Dunbartonshire
 (b) West Dunbartonshire


 2002-03
 402
 281


 2003-04
 402
 280


 2004-05
 419
 310



  Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

  This table only includes those students who have declared any family income.

  Low income has been defined as those students who have declared family income that is below the SAAS contribution threshold, which is the level of family income at which the student’s family is expected to start contributing support to the student.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for rural home ownership grants were made in each local authority area in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The number of applications for rural home ownership grants (RHOGs) that have been made by local authority area in the period (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05, showing year-on-year percentage changes are as follows:

  Number of RHOG Applications Received by Unitary Authority (2002-03 to 2004-05)

  

 
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Applications
 Applications
 % Change
 Applications
 % Change


 Aberdeenshire
 1
 2
 100%
 2
 0%


 Argyll and Bute
 1
 12
 1,100%
 10
 -17%


 Highland
 32
 39
 22%
 45
 15%


 North Ayrshire
 1
 1
 0%
 1
 0%


 Orkney Islands
 26
 29
 12%
 39
 34%


 Perth and Kinross
 8
 1
 -88%
 25
 2400%


 Shetland Islands
 3
 4
 33%
 4
 0%


 The Scottish Borders
 2
 3
 50%
 6
 100%


 Western Isles
 3
 5
 67%
 3
 -40%"

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to revise the minimum and maximum payments available via home loss compensation in order to bring the payments into line with those available in England.

Johann Lamont: The Executive is considering the appropriate level of home loss payments for Scotland and will consider bringing forward proposals in due course, should a change in levels be required.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rural home ownership grants have been awarded in each local authority area in each year since the scheme was created.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Information in the form requested is only available since 1996-97. The number of rural home ownership grants (RHOGs) that have been awarded by local authority area in the period 1996-97 to 2004-05 is as follows:

  Number of RHOG Approvals by Unitary Authority (1996-97 to 2004-05)

  

 
 1996-97
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Aberdeenshire
 2
 0
 1
 1
 0
 0
 1
 1
 1


 Angus
 2
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Argyll and Bute
 2
 1
 1
 4
 4
 8
 1
 10
 9


 Highland
 18
 19
 19
 16
 22
 15
 27
 36
 42


 Moray
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Orkney Islands
 12
 12
 7
 14
 17
 25
 26
 28
 38


 Perth and Kinross
 12
 3
 5
 1
 2
 1
 3
 1
 18


 Shetland Islands
 5
 1
 5
 6
 2
 5
 3
 1
 4


 Stirling
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 The Scottish Borders
 6
 5
 3
 4
 2
 1
 2
 3
 5


 Western Isles
 4
 3
 2
 3
 2
 0
 1
 3
 2"

Justice

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research is being carried out into the reasons for 144.8 per million males under one-year-old being victims of murder, given that this is the highest risk group in society.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any research into the reasons that 144.8 per million males under one year old are the victims of murder. I believe this figure reflects the fact that four such babies were counted in 2004-05, when three of these were alleged victims of the same mother over the previous 30 years. Technically this gives a rate of 144.8 per million males under one, care should be taken in drawing conclusions from this figure.

NHS Staff

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many obstetricians there have been in each year from 1980 to 2005.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on staff in post by NHS board in Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce .

  Section B gives details of medical staff employed in NHS Scotland. In particular, tables B8 and B9 show the whole-time equivalent (WTE) and headcount number of consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology, for years 1994-2004, broken down by NHS board. Between 1994-2004 there was an increase of 18%.

  Information for the years 1980 to 1994 is not held electronically and it would incur disproportionate cost to determine.

NHS Staff

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff employed by NHS Scotland were aged 70 or over in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The table shows the total number of staff aged 70 and over employed in NHS Scotland at 30 September in each year from 1999 to 2004.

  NHSScotland Workforce Statistics, All NHS Staff, Headcount at 30 September

  

 
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Aged 70 or over
 6
 7
 10
 19
 24
 28



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  NHSScotland values the diversity of its staff and where possible would support employees wishing to work beyond retirement age. We have introduced a range of work life balance policies to support this aim.

NHS Waiting Times

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) maximum, (b) average and (c) target waiting times were for (i) in-patient and (ii) first out-patient appointments for each NHS board in each quarter of the last eight years.

Mr Andy Kerr: Almost 54% of patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals are admitted immediately and never join a waiting list. Of those who do wait, over 40% are admitted within one month and almost 70% within three months.

  For those who have to wait longer, the maximum waiting time guarantee was reduced from 12 months to nine months at the end of 2003 with a further reduction to six months from 31 December 2005. On 30 September 2005, 1,249 patients with a guarantee had waited more than six months for in-patient and day case treatment - a reduction of 6,263 since 30 September 2004. This guaranteed waiting time will be further reduced to 18 weeks by the end of 2007.

  With regard to first out-patient waiting times, over 54% of patients are seen within nine weeks of referral and 66% within 13 weeks. For those who have to wait longer, we have set a national maximum waiting time target of 26 weeks from referral to consultation, from 31 December 2005. On 30 September 2005, 11,854 patients to whom the target applied had waited more than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment – a reduction of 41,725 since 30 September 2004. The target will be reduced to 18 weeks from the end of 2007

  The NHS in Scotland has delivered a high standard of performance against the maximum waiting times commitments so far and is on track to meet the challenging waiting times we have set for the future.

  Information on waiting times for a first out-patient consultation and for in-patient and day case treatment for each quarter since 31 December 1997 is set out in the table. I have arranged for the information requested for NHS boards to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38641) as it runs to 30 pages. Waiting times information for 31 December 2005 will be published by NHS National Services Scotland on their website on 23 February 2006.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department for Transport regarding the future of the British Transport Police.

Cathy Jamieson: Scottish Executive officials have been kept appraised by colleagues in the Department of Transport as the review has progressed.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to the maintenance of a specialist police force for the railways.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive does not currently maintain a police force for the railways given that responsibility for the British Transport Police is reserved.

Police

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests have been made in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not available centrally.

Population

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of children have lived in households with two adults, neither of whom were in work, in each year since 1990.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is given in the following table. These statistics are only available, on a consistent basis, back to 1997.

  Proportion1 of Children2 Living in Households with Two Adults, Neither of Whom are in Work

  

 Year
 


 1997
 5.9


 1998
 5.8


 1999
 4.9


 2000
 5.9


 2001
 4.7


 2002
 4.3


 2003
 4.1


 2004
 5.5


 2005
 4.5



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter.

  Notes:

  1. The numerator for this proportion is children living in households with two adults neither of whom are in work and the denominator is the total number of children.

  2. Children here are defined as all dependent children aged under 19.

  3. These estimates are taken from a sample therefore they are subject to sampling error. The margin of error for these estimates is on average + or – 0.6 percentage points.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21073 by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005, how much taxpayers money has been saved by not placing carefully selected prisoners in a regular prison but in the open estate instead in the last year for which figures are available.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No such figures are available. SPS calculate annually an average cost per prisoner place which is reported in our Annual Reports and Accounts. It would not be cost effective to attempt to disaggregate all cost elements to attempt to arrive at a total average cost for each prison.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per prisoner is for (a) prisoners on the open estate and (b) prisoners in regular prisons.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to my answer to S2W-16418 on 18 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20861 by Cathy Jamieson on 30 November 2005 and without specific reference to the contract between the Scottish Prison Service and Premier Prison Services Ltd for the operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock, whether it considers that, in general, a contract which places the onus on the contractor to report any of its own contractual failings is the best system by which to ensure that contractual failures are brought to light.

Cathy Jamieson: Yes, so long as it is complemented with mechanisms appropriate to the particular contract to monitor performance in pursuit of best value for money for the tax payer.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16679 by Cathy Jamieson on 2 June 2005, on how many occasions the Director of HM Prison Kilmarnock has consulted the Scottish Prison Service about visits to the prison since its opening.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available as it is not collected or collated.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21260 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, why the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) was asked to respond to this question, given that the information requested did not necessarily pertain to the SPS.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Question S2W-21260 referred to S2W-20863 which relates to the contract between the Scottish Prison Service and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd. As the Chief Executive of SPS is responsible for contractual matters, it was appropriate for him to respond to this question.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21259 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates what the distinction is between "failure to meet a particular contractual commitment" and a "breach of contract".

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21258 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates what the definition of a breach of contract is.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The response referred to the terms of the contract. It makes no such distinction as it does not define a breach of contract.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21261 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates whether it considers that its contracts are rigorously enough drafted to ensure that contractors adhere to their contractual commitments, if failure to meet a particular contractual commitment is not a breach of contract.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS are content with the terms of our contract with Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd, which has delivered excellent performance.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21261 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, why the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) was asked to respond to this question, given that the information requested did not necessarily pertain to the SPS.

Cathy Jamieson: Question S2W-21261 referred to S2W-20863 which relates to the contract between the Scottish Prison Service and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd. As the Chief Executive of SPS is responsible for contractual matters, it was appropriate for him to respond to this question.

Public Sector Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of public sector workers were from a black or minority ethnic background in each year for which figures are available, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of public sector workers.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not collected centrally.

Rail Network

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected cost is of the Glasgow Airport Rail link and when the project will be completed.

Tavish Scott: Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) currently estimate the capital cost of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) as £160 million, including an allowance for Optimism Bias, this is based on 4th Quarter 2004 prices. The most recent programme from SPT envisaged an into service date of 2009-10 for the GARL.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Rendition Flights

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20910 by Cathy Jamieson on 7 December 2005, whether it will recommend to Her Majesty’s Government that it monitors the international press coverage on rendition flights in order to be kept aware of the issue.

Cathy Jamieson: It is not necessary or appropriate for the Scottish Executive to make such a recommendation. The UK Government will decide for itself what action is required in this respect.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the UK Government about responsibilities under the International Law Commission’s draft articles on Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts which would result if the articles were to be ratified, in particular article 15, which state that an omission of action is a breach of these articles, in respect of allegations that US agencies are using Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the UK Government about responsibilities under the International Law Commission’s draft articles on Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts which would result if the articles were to be ratified, in particular article 16, which state that countries are in breach of the articles if they aid or assist another state in the commission of an internationally wrongful act, in respect of allegations that US agencies are using Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has not had any discussions with the UK Government about the International Law Commission’s draft articles on Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has carried out of the financial savings delivered by the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (a) in total and (b) for each of the technologies supported.

Nicol Stephen: We do not have the information requested for community projects. Potential financial savings made can vary considerably between households depending on the type of technology being installed and the type and cost of fossil fuel being replaced. The figures shown below are estimates from the Energy Saving Trust of average savings per household per annum for projects supported in 2004-05 broken down by technology:

  

 Technology Type
No. of Projects Supported 2004-05
Av. Saving per Household (£)
 Expected Lifetime
 Total Lifetime Savings


 Solar Water Heating
 106
 25
 20
£53,000


 Ground Source Heat Pump
 80
 140
 20
£224,000


 Wind Turbine
 17
 334
 20
£113,560


 Biomass
 11
 1108
 15
£16,631


 Solar Space
 1
 56
 20
£1,120



  Household projects assisted during 2004-05 have estimated annual savings totalling £31,706 and estimated lifetime savings totalling £408,311.

Roads

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 ( Official Report c. 21530), whether the A76 Glenairlie scheme has been subject to Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance or other appraisal; whether the scheme represents value for money and satisfies the other requirements of the appraisal methodology, and whether the necessary ground for the scheme has been acquired.

Tavish Scott: The A76 Glenairlie scheme has not been subject to STAG since it had already reached a significant stage of development before the introduction of that appraisal methodology. It is subject to an Environmental Statement which will be published with the statutory road orders at the end of January. An economic assessment has been carried out and the scheme does represent value for money. The land required to build the scheme has not yet been acquired and a draft compulsory purchase order will also be published at the end of January.

Roads

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the schemes identified in the A76 Route Action Plan at Polquhirter, Brackenhill and Cample have been subject to Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance or other appraisal and, if so, what the outcome of such appraisal has been.

Tavish Scott: The schemes at Polquhirter, Brackenhill and Cample identified in the A76 Route Action Plan were not selected as projects that should be taken forward as part of the Route Action Plan Review in 2002. As such they have not been subject to the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance.

Roads

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 ( Official Report c. 21529), what the estimated costs and benefits of the A76 Gateside-Knockenjig scheme are and when the decision was made not to proceed with the scheme.

Tavish Scott: The estimated cost of the proposed A76 Gateside-Knockenjig scheme was £1.7 million but this failed to satisfy value for money criteria or offer significant operational benefits. An attempt to redefine the scheme failed to gain support of the local landowners and the scheme was subsequently abandoned in December 2002.

Royal Visits

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on royal visits to Scotland, including security arrangements and hospitality, in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive runs and pays for a small number of events most years where members of the Royal Family are in attendance. The information we hold on cost and location is set out below. Security arrangements are handled by the police force for the area the member of the Royal Family is visiting.

  

 Year
 Cost £000
 Location


 1999
 2
 Stirling


 2000
 1
 Edinburgh


 2001
 0
 


 2002
 0
 


 2003
 33
 Edinburgh


 2004
 1
 Edinburgh


 2005
 2
 Edinburgh



  The 2003 figure of £33,000 relates to the Union of the Crowns Dinner, attended by Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York and hosted by the First Minister.

Scottish Executive Publications

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of Choosing Our Future: Scotland’s Sustainable Development Strategy were printed and what the total cost was of (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Ross Finnie: Six thousand copies of Choosing our Future: Scotland’s Sustainable Development Strategy were printed at a total print production cost of £11,330. Pre-print design costs totalled £8,686.59 and associated project management costs were £464. Distribution costs, including public dissemination, amounted to £2,947.36

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims of bullying or harassment were made against it by its employees in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: There have been a total of 55 recorded cases of bullying and harassment raised by Scottish Executive employees since 1999. In line with its Dignity at Work policy, the Executive takes all complaints of this nature very seriously. It aims to ensure that all staff have the opportunity to work in an environment where they feel safe and secure and are not subject to unacceptable behaviour.

  

 1999
 8


 2000
 13


 2001
 15


 2002
 6


 2003
 9


 2004
 4



  Figures for 2005 are not yet available.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints of a racial nature have been made against it in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: There is no central record held of complaints of a racial nature made against the Scottish Executive. In the period 1999-2004 there has been only one such recorded complaint made by a Scottish Executive member of staff, in 2002. Figures for 2005 are not available yet.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22117 on 20 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many black and minority ethnic employees it has, expressed as a percentage of the total number of its employees and broken down by department.

Mr Tom McCabe: The number of black and minority ethnic employees, expressed as a percentage of the total number of permanent employees in the Scottish Executive core departments is given in the following table. Declaration of ethnicity by staff in the Scottish Executive is voluntary and 11.5% of staff have not provided information on their ethnic background.

  Permanent Staff from an Ethnic Minority at January 2006

  

 Department
 Total


 Centrally Managed Staff
 0.00%


 Development Department
 *


 Education Department
 0.11%


 Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
 0.20%


 Environment and Rural Affairs Department
 0.15%


 Finance and Central Services Department
 0.15%


 Health Department
 *


 Justice Department
 0.13%


 Legal and Parliamentary Services
 *


 Office of The Permanent Secretary
 0.11%


 Grand Total
 1.06%



  Note: *To prevent disclosure of sensitive personal information we do not report on those percentages which would reflect a figurer of less than five.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many equal pay claims it has settled in each year since 1999, broken down by department.

Mr Tom McCabe: There have been no equal pay claim settlements within the Scottish Executive core departments since 1999.

Scottish Executive Staff

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its employees have been recommended for an honour in the (a) Queen’s Birthday Honours List and (b) New Year Honours List in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The number of Scottish Executive employees recommended for an honour in the (a) Queen’s Birthday Honours List and (b) New Years Honours List in each year since 1999 are detailed in the following table.

  

 Honours List
 Recommendations


 New Year 2006
 6 


 Birthday 2005
 7


 New Year 2005
 6


 Birthday 2004
 5


 New Year 2004
 5


 Birthday 2003
 8


 New Year 2003
 8


 Birthday 2002
 6


 New Year 2002
 7


 Birthday 2001
 7


 New Year 2001
 4


 Birthday 2000
 7


 New Year 2000
 10


 Birthday 1999
 5


 New Year 1999
 9

Scottish Executive Websites

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W 21793 by Mr Tom McCabe on 10 January 2006, what information the Executive holds on the number of websites it has created, the number of websites it operates, the number of visitors to its websites, and the costs it incurs, and has incurred since 1999, on websites.

Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Social Work

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many social workers were from a black or minority ethnic background in each year for which figures are available, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of social workers.

Robert Brown: Of the 8,009 people registered as social workers with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) at 11 January 2006 (this includes people who have a social work qualification but are not practising as social workers), 6,237 had completed the equal opportunities form which is a voluntary part of the registration process. Of the 6,237, 123 declared themselves as being from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, representing 1.97% of the total who completed the form. Registration of social workers commenced in 2003 and this is the first year in which comprehensive data has been available. A report on registered social workers will be published by the SSSC in April 2006.

  In 2005, information on staff ethnicity was collected for the first time as part of the Annual Census of Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services. The results of this census will be published in April 2006.

Victim Support

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it makes any financial contribution to the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority or to the financial compensation which the authority awards to victims.

Hugh Henry: Under the terms of an agreement with the Home Office, the Scottish Executive pays a percentage of the total UK cost of both compensation payments made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, and the administration costs of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and Appeals Panel. That percentage is based on a rolling average of Scottish claims on the scheme over the previous three years. Over the past few years this has fluctuated between 11-13%. In 2004-05 the Executive’s contribution was £20.6 million (11%).

Young Offenders

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of available secure unit places for children under the age of 16, given the statement by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.1 of his inspection report of March 2005 on HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont that seven such people were held there between May 2004 and March 2005 as a result of there being no space in a secure unit.

Cathy Jamieson: On 18 September 2002 ministers announced specific plans to reconfigure the secure estate with the creation of an additional 29 extra secure places.

  Distribution of the additional 29 places announced on 24 March 2003. These will be able to offer much needed facilities for girls only and, as far as possible, avoid under 16s being remanded to young offenders’ institutions.

  When complete by 2007 the secure estate will therefore consist of:

  18 boys only at Kibble

  24 mixed at St Philip’s

  18 girls only at Good Shepherd

  18 mixed at Rossie

  31 mixed at St Mary’s

  12 mixed in Edinburgh

  four mixed in The Elms.

  By 2007, Scotland will have an increase of 40 places since 2000.